The Buy Canadian movement has moved beyond the grocery aisle, influencing how consumers think about the brands they support and creating new opportunities for advertisers to connect through local relevance.
New Canadian research from Vistar Media and Angus Reid found 39% of Canadians took action after seeing OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising, including 22% who searched online for a brand.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Scott Mitchell, Managing Director, Canada at Vistar Media, discusses what this shift means for marketers and how brands can thoughtfully tap into Canadian identity, community and context.
We’ve heard a lot about the “Buy Canadian” movement over the past year. From an advertising perspective, what has changed?
I think the conversation has evolved beyond simply where a product is made. Canadians are paying closer attention to the brands they support and whether those brands actually understand the communities they’re speaking to.
For marketers, that raises the bar for relevance. It doesn’t mean every campaign needs to wave the Canadian flag. It means understanding what matters to your audience here and reflecting that in the message, the moment and the environment you show up.
Does that create a challenge for global brands operating in Canada?
I see it more as an opportunity. Global brands have the benefit of scale and recognition, but scale doesn’t require sameness.
A global campaign can still feel relevant in Canada through the creative, the communities it speaks to or the moments it chooses to participate in. The important thing is that the connection feels genuine. Consumers are pretty good at recognizing when a brand is forcing its way into a conversation.
The goal isn’t to make a global brand look Canadian. It’s to make the campaign feel relevant to Canadians.
What does “local relevance” actually look like in advertising?
It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be acknowledging what’s happening in a particular city or region, responding to weather, tapping into a local event or simply making sure the creative makes sense for where and when someone is seeing it.
The mistake is assuming localization means putting a maple leaf on an ad and calling it Canadian. Instead, ask: Why does this message make sense here, for this audience, at this moment? That shift turns localization from a creative treatment into a media strategy.
Are Canadian consumers actually responding to this kind of advertising?
Yes. We’re seeing that advertising in the physical world can still prompt people to take that next step.
We recently conducted research with Angus Reid that shows 39% of Canadians said they had taken some form of action after seeing out-of-home advertising, including 22% who searched online for a brand.
What’s interesting is what happens between those two moments. Someone can discover a brand while commuting, shopping or meeting friends, then continue that journey later through search, social or a brand’s website.
For marketers, the takeaway is not to think about physical and digital channels as separate journeys. Consumers certainly don’t.
Why does out-of-home play an interesting role in this shift?
Out-of-home has always been tied to place. People encounter it while they’re commuting, shopping, travelling or just moving through their communities. That naturally gives the medium context.
What digital out-of-home (DOOH) adds is the ability to make that context more actionable. Advertisers can think about audience, location, timing and creative together rather than treating every screen and every moment the same.
That’s the opportunity with DOOH: not simply reaching more people, but making the message more relevant to the moment they’re in.
Can brands lean too heavily into the Buy Canadian movement?
Definitely. Not every brand needs to explicitly talk about buying Canadian, and consumers don’t necessarily expect them to.
Brands should start with what’s credible and authentic for them. If there’s a genuine connection to a Canadian community, moment or value, there may be a natural way to participate. If there isn’t, forcing that connection can quickly feel performative.
Sometimes the strongest localization strategy isn’t telling people how Canadian you are. It’s showing that you understand Canadians.
What should marketers take away from the Buy Canadian movement as they plan future campaigns?
The key takeaway is that relevance is becoming more important. People want brands to understand the world they’re living in, but that doesn’t mean marketers need to respond to every trend, headline or cultural moment.
The opportunity is to be selective. Pay attention to what matters to your audience, identify the moments where your brand has something credible to contribute and think carefully about where and how you show up.
You don’t need to participate in every conversation. But when you do, make sure you’re adding something relevant to it.
That’s what turns localization from a campaign tactic into a stronger connection with your audience.
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